


Discord

by Amari, EJ (girlwitham4carbine)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Collaboration, Discord Au, General fluff, In a later chapter, M/M, There are some wild scenes here, theres one homophobic slur but it's not bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-07 21:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1914231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amari/pseuds/Amari, https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwitham4carbine/pseuds/EJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say emotions can change your perception of the world. Everything seems a little bit brighter when you find yourself on cloud 9. But when you meet someone who can bend reality at will? Who can create nightmares and fantasies that the best of storytellers can only wish to bring into existence?</p>
<p>Well, how can you know what are you truly seeing and feeling then?</p>
<p>Ray certainly didn’t know the first time he met Joel Heyman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

To those that knew him, a bored Joel Heyman was a scary Joel Heyman. If the man was bored, you risked your world being turned upside down.

Joel had the powers of Discord, meaning that you could at one moment be walking in your hallway at work, the next, walking in space while sparrows with rabbit heads told you why you should floss your socks. Elegant sorcerer ponies could swim along the backs of hippos that sang beautifully. Uprooted trees could stand in army formations preventing you from dropping your time bomb off at the center of earth. Joel could bend reality like a child with a pipe cleaner.

Luckily, the extremes only happened when Joel was seriously bored. Most of the time his illusions were harmless. On a technical level, all of his illusions were harmless. Most of his creations just popped from his head. They could be anything from fluffy mystical animals that cuddled with him while he worked, to turning his office into a museum with living dinosaurs. Wouldn’t that be an interesting history lesson?

Normally, he was never purposefully harmful with his powers, he didn’t want people have more reason to fear him than they already did.

"AW FUCK! NO. GODDAMMIT!" Joel screamed out loud he felt his power erupt from his body out of control. The floor that was a carpet moments ago unraveled into a checkerboard pattern that stretched on for an eternity, his panic made fire breathing pitfalls open under each wrong step. Blue alligators shrieked in terror as mice ate them scale by scale.

Joel couldn't breathe; he just wanted to talk to the new guy, that’s all he had intended to do. He never thought he’d lose absolute control by looking at him. There was one moment looking at Ray’s face that made his heart jump, and with that sudden excitement, everything let loose. Joel grabbed at the dark air, hoping to catch onto some hopeless threads of control that were unraveling before him. Instead of a peaceful environment, he literally created a snapshot of hell.

 

Meanwhile, Ray was terrified. A friendly greeting from the office door made him turn around, and instantly he was pulled into what felt like another world. He watched his reality crash around him, replaced by a nauseating mix of heat and chaos. The floor began to swirl, what he hoped was black and white paint dancing on his shoes. He stood watching the man - _Dragon? Monster?_ \- let out a guttural roar, holding his head in his claws, face contorting into what looked like a demon's. He couldn't breathe. There was something about Joel that wanted to rise above this innate fear; a strange curiosity, if Ray could call it that. But instead, he fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Joel shouted, taking a step back out of the room. Retreating was the only thing he was capable of at that point. Tears burned at his eyes.  "I'm sorry!" He repeated.

What else could he say? With another step back, the world around the younger man began to fix itself; the floor slowly shifting back to firm gray carpet. Ground - _real ground-_ beneath Ray.

Ray had been expecting his first day to be insane, but not literally world-shattering.

"I didn't mean-- I'm sorry!" Joel shouted one last time as he turned and ran out of the office, bolting upstairs and returning to his own, locking the door behind him. The office swirled into pitch black darkness, giving him time to escape, and more importantly, breathe.

Ray let his breathing even out, clutching at the carpet beneath his fingers, his mind repeating like a mantra that yes, this was real. _He_ was real and back in the Achievement Hunter office, not... wherever they were before. He didn't get up at first, eventually making his way back to desk, fiddling with the trinkets that adorned it. The rest of the crew filed in soon after, the lads asking Ray if he was alright and the gents staying silent with looks of understanding and worry.

There was a soft knock at Joel's door, and the darkness curled up behind him, bringing him to his office once again. By now, he had managed to calm down, his breathing evened, and pulse normal. But his mind was still racing in worry for what Ray was probably thinking and or saying.

"Come in." Joel said, knowing already who it was.

"Goddamn, you didn't have to scare the new kid like that. I mean, I understand a prank, but I'm surprised he didn't have to go home and get a change of underwear." Burnie joked as he waltzed in.

Joel ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to use my powers at all. I just wanted to say hi, and just... I looked at him, Burnie, I looked at him, and it just... it just happened."

The smile on Burnies face fell, "You mean, you just lost control?"

Joel put his forehead against his desk, "Yeah. Just.... gone. And then I panicked, and made everything worse. I just-- I hope he doesn't think I'm a monster."

"Maybe a little freaky, but I doubt he's going to think you're a monster." Burnie tried to comfort him with a pat on the back.

"In fact…" he continued, "I’m sure Geoff is explaining everything to him as we speak. It’ll be alright, Joel." He removed his hand from Joel’s back and moved to leave. He sent a smile and wave over his shoulder, turning back once more to send him a serious look.

"But make sure you try to figure out what happened. I don’t need anyone getting hurt."

—

Across the building, the Achievement Hunter gang finished recording some short videos for the vault, opting to take an early lunch break. Jack and Michael offered to grab some burgers for everyone, Ryan went back to his desk to get other work done, and Gavin ran off somewhere shouting about things to do and people to bother. Geoff and Ray were left, their keyboard clicks filling the empty space.

"So I heard you met our little… troublemaker." Geoff turned his chair around, leaning his chin in his palm and sporting a tired smirk.

Ray honestly hadn’t expected anyone to talk about it. No one had said anything for the past few hours, so he figured he must have been seeing things. Lack of sleep, eating habits, ironic jokes about blazing, he didn’t know.

"Yeah. Yeah, uh... That was Joel Heyman, right?"

"In the flesh."

"Care to explain that acid trip, or have I been blazing too hard lately?"

Geoff cackled and smiled fondly, “Nah, you aren’t high. It probably felt like it though. That was Joel’s uh… Well… Joel’s a unique person, that much you know, but like he’s got this power, you understand?”

“A power to make everything really fucked up?” Ray questioned, spinning his chair around to look directly at Geoff.

Geoff nodded, “Basically. He called it the power of Discord.”

Ray raised an eyebrow, “You mean like, Discord from MLP?”

“Uhh… if that means crazy shit happens, then yeah. But for the most part, it’s just one big hallucination; no harm will come to you. Hopefully.”

Ray nodded slowly, not really understanding, but he was headed in the right direction. “Why would he do that to me though?” The imagery of the alligators flashed as it replayed in his head. His stomach churned as he remembered almost throwing up on the floor.

Geoff noticed that the boy paled in his seat, “Was it bad? Normally I could understand a little prank, but you look downright terrified.”

“Geoff,” Ray started slowly, “It was like I was living a nightmare. It was like he lost control or something because he kept apologizing.”

Geoff grimaced at that. “Maybe he was just under a little more stress than usual. He’s a pretty chill guy, something like that isn’t his usual behavior.”

Ray pondered those words for a few moments before nodding. “Yeah... Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

"Of course I’m right." Geoff laughed. "Maybe he’s scared of you.”

Ray scoffed a little at that. “Scared of me? And this 141 pounds of pure Puerto Rican thunder? Sure.”

"Hey, you never know. Just make sure you stay away from him for a few days. I’ll talk to him."

Geoff threw him a reassuring smirk, standing up from his chair slowly to do just that.

"Get your ass ready to load up today’s big game in the meantime. I’ll be back after lunch."

Ray nodded, turning his chair back to his desk. He set everything up the way he had been shown earlier and then sat back and waited. His mind drifted back to what happened earlier. His grip on reality torn out from underneath his feet. It was terrifying, yes, but the sound of anguish from his co-worker, his apologizes that had spilled from his mouth had him wondering. Monsters don’t apologize, jerks don’t apologize. Joel must have made some sort of mistake. Maybe he honestly didn’t mean for that madness to unravel.  Maybe Ray will take Geoff’s advice, and stay away a few days.

But that didn’t mean that Ray would stop thinking about Joel. It was like sometimes the thought of the older man creeped into his mind. Just little thoughts here and there.

On the opposite end, Joel was told to really think about what happened. He really didn’t need to be told twice. He really wasn’t sure what had caused him to dive off the deep end, but he really wanted to find out. Two days since they met seemed long enough for Joel to try and reach out to Ray again.

He conjured up a golden little bird, similar to a large humming bird that glittered in the light. He placed a little note in its beak, and it zoomed down to the Achievement Office. Ray was a little startled by a golden metallic looking bird randomly appearing next to him, but was more focused on the letter it had in its mouth. He took the letter, and as soon as he did, the bird poofed into golden dust.

Shrugging off the disintegrating bird, Ray opened the small note carefully, trying not to tear it between his fingers. As soon as it opened fully, it enlarged to the size of a regular 8.5” x 11” piece of white paper in a small flutter. It was hard to read the scrawled, unpracticed ink that seemed to almost run off the page itself. He wondered idly if Joel’s powers had some effect on everything he came into contact with, before shrugging it off and reading over the note again.

_Ray,_

_I’m don’t really know where to begin. I guess I’ll start by apologizing for the… scene earlier. Geoff or Burnie should have told you about my powers by now, and if not, they’re waiting like pieces of shit for me to do it myself._

_but since they definitely told you, and they totally did, I owe you an explanation._

_Meet me at the top of the stairs around 6. I won’t hurt you, wow I sound like a kidnapper._

_ps: bring alcohol on your way up._

_pps: wait you don’t drink nevermind._

_-Joel_

A laugh bubbled up from his throat, as he read through it a few more times, watching the words and mistakes, hesitations and cross outs move across the page. It was like he was watching the older man write it, shaking his head when he messed up or wrote something awkward. He had to admit, Joel’s magic was actually pretty cool.

And if he could do little things like metallic birds and moving ink, then he surely not must be as dangerous as he thought, right?

He sure hoped he was right.


	2. Chapter 2

Upstairs, Joel cursed himself out once again. Having no idea what the man’s reaction to his note was killed him inside. The lack of screaming at least told him that Ray didn’t freak out about the bird. That was the only sense of calm he could clutch onto until time ticked away. The various creatures he used to summon to ease him did nothing as they sat on his shoulders and looked worried.  A blue cotton candy phoenix nuzzled his head trying to get Joel to calm himself.  A marshmallow snake was curled in his lap and a crimson gryphon stretched a wing behind him. The creatures were more like thoughts made physical. Words translated into abstract imagery that manifested itself in the outside world.  The creatures mirrored his reasoning, telling him that everything will be okay, but the wolf-jawed holes that littered his office carpet reflected the worry that was slowly eating at him on the inside.

All he had to do was figure out what had happened last time and control it. He would be in control and everything would be okay. Simple as that. One of the holes literally growled at him, reminding him that he wasn’t as sure as he was telling himself he was.

“Shut the fuck up.” He snarled in response. A few of the holes turned to dust at his command as his confidence grew. He’d be fine. Ray would be able to feel safe with a few other coworkers around. It was a test at a simple conversation, and really, it was for Joel to figure out why the fuck he lost his shit before.

He waved his other companions away, all swirling into nothingness as he turned his attention toward work to fill his time. The minutes ticked away quickly, and soon enough six o’clock had arrived. Everything would be normal. Nothing weird would pop up from the ground, no dragon scaled piranhas would drop from the ceiling, no legless tree warrior would sprout from the ground and attack his coworker. Joel would be in control.

Joel was still in control but the way his heart was skipping and flinging itself against his ribcage said otherwise.

He had met the younger man at the top of the second flight of stairs, close enough to a few others  who were staying past 6 to get ahead on work.  Ray’s face was weary when he finally walked up to the landing, finding Joel standing next to his own office, head down and looking… normal. He didn’t have any quirky clothes like he’d expected, nor the claws and crazed eyes he’d seen before. He looked young, his black hair wild and free and face and jaw defined. He was… definitely attractive to say the least.

“So this is the famous face under the helmet? Donut, right?” Ray joked lightly, opting to use a little humor to lighten any awkwardness  between them.

Joel’s head snapped up, eyes crinkling and flashing a wide smile, licking his teeth out of habit. Upon making eye contact, Joel felt something inside him jump. Just like what happened before.

They stood in relative silence, pieces of conversations barely audible floating in the air around them.

“So...” Joel began hesitantly.

“Nice touch. With the bird I mean.”

 _So, he wasn’t scared by the note…_ Joel thought, letting out a breath before replying with a smile, “Thanks, his name is Willie.”

“Like Willy Wonka?” Ray questioned.

“No, like Willie Wanker.”

“What the hell?” Ray started laughing and Joel joined in. The tension melted away rapidly, and the two carried on conversation easily. The thing inside Joel would thump a little every time he witnessed Ray’s smile, but he didn’t lose control.

“And no, I’m not Donut. I’m Caboose.”

Ray snorted, “You’re a caboose. A special caboose.”

Joel smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Really? Low blow. But yes I am pretty special.”

He held his hand out, palm up, in front of Ray.

“Here, look.”

A pin-sized pearl rested softly against his skin, having appeared from thin air. The small bead rolled around his hand as he rocked his palm back and forth. The pearl grew in size as it rolled, like a snowball picking up snow. Slow and gentle, growing evenly in a perfect sphere. Soon, it was the size of a clementine orange. The pale pink color reflected the shadow of Ray who was intrigued, but not afraid. Joel stopped rolling the pearl, the weight heavy in his hand.

The pearl levitated off Joel’s palm, hovering about two inches from his skin. Joel flicked his eyes to Ray for a brief moment before he eyed the pearl again. He twitched his pointer finger. As if he had flipped an invisible trigger, the pearl began to morph.  It shifted and wavered, no longer holding its round form. Protrusions stretched outward, like something was trapped inside the orb, fighting its way out of a shiny balloon. One of the protrusions started to take a real shape. A tiny human arm. It still had the same shiny pearl color. From there, it was like the pearl melted and reformed in in the curves of a human body. A four-inch perfectly sculpted porcelain ballerina now stood in Joel’s palm.

Ray backed up slowly and carefully sat in a nearby empty chair. His eyes never left the figurine that glittered beautifully, even in the shitty light of the building.

“That’s a neat trick.” Ray admitted.

A corner of Joel’s mouth turned upward, “Thank you, but the show’s only started.”

His words were a command to the fragile ballerina. She began to turn in his hand, slow and steady. She spun like the smooth gears of a music box. Ray swore that he could hear the metal plinked notes ring in the air. It was like he was watching a little show. The rolling office chair became a red-upholstered seat in a mostly empty theatre. The stage spread out in front of his first-row seat, golden wood served as the floor, overhead lights focused on the figurine that was in the middle of it all.  The ballerina continued its mechanical spinning but she was no longer the small figurine. She stood at least 5’4”, the size of a normal human.  She breathed with life, her skin no longer shone like glass, all her limbs moved as she danced across the stage.

During her spinning, her frilly pink tutu started to fall, growing longer and fluttering outward as she spun. As the fabric descended to meet her ankles, the color of the fabric turned into a bright orange, like a setting sun. Her movements began to flow so much more naturally, no longer only spinning, she rocked the stage. Ray was entranced in the show, concentration on the dancer only broken when she extended her arm out to another figure on the stage.

Joel, adorned in a colorful, complimentary blue vest, black pants and dress shoes, took the dancers hand, and began to dance with her. The two of them seemed to run on the stage, jumping in frenzied movements, a new energy scattered on the stage. Ray’s fingers curled into the armrests as he sat forward, inching closer to the stage. Their energy drew him in.

A few quick spins led the couple to the front of the stage, using the weight of each other to spread themselves apart from each other as possible, joined only by the hands. Both chests rising and falling, lungs burning with excitement as it seemed their show had ended. Ray now stood, right at the edge of the stage; his feet had moved him from his seat.

The spotlight shifted, showering Joel and Ray in bright light. They were now the next subject. Joel reached down, and Ray eagerly took Joel’s hand in his own to let himself be pulled up. As soon as his foot hit the top of the stage, his t-shirt and shorts were gone, shed to reveal his own dancing clothes. A mirror to Joel’s outfit, but only a blazing orange, like the dancer before him. Joel pulled Ray close, chests touching, one arm extended, and away they went.

Ray’s legs had never moved so gracefully before in his life. It was as if he had been doing this for centuries. He followed Joel’s lead with ease as they traversed the stage. When Joel flipped Ray over his shoulder, he rolled off like a natural, knowing exactly how to recover.  Legs that should have been tangled moved effortlessly. The orchestrated music that appeared from nowhere fit them perfectly, every note accentuating every step perfectly. They were incredible, even better than the routine he had just witnessed.

When the dance ended, Ray could feel it in his lungs. He could feel the burn. He could also feel his heart as it slammed against his chest.

But then the stage disappeared, the theatre gave way to the office they had been in before. The two of them were standing near the staircase, still holding on to each other by stretched hands. Quickly they separated, but Ray almost didn’t let go.

The show was over, but Ray could still feel it. He could feel the sweat that clung to his skin, the warmth that emanated from his body. Even with the realization that it had all been some vivid hallucination, the effects were still real. As he tried to catch his breath, he put his hand over his heart, fingers splayed outward. He could feel his heart thumping.

“Holy shit.” He muttered more to himself as reality settled in.

Joel, who was physically in a similar state to Ray, only rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah… I uh… I think that got out of hand. Again. Sorry about that.”

Ray looked over at Joel, who had taken to resting against the outer wall of his own office. The older man no longer had that feeling to him that he had before. Any bottled up fear Ray may have had about him had been shattered on the dance floor. Joel was no monster, but he was by no means normal.

“No. No.” Ray said, “It… it was incredible. You... don’t just make stuff that seems like it was straight out of hell. It was… it was… I just…” He trailed off. Words couldn’t describe how he currently felt. The blood pumped through his veins; he felt so much more alive than he ever had in his entire life! He wanted to dance again, he wanted to feel the burning contact of skin, he wanted to move with confidence, he wanted have a similar experience.

“You are amazing, Joel.” Ray finally said.

Joel’s eyes blazed gold, wide and full of surprise at the other’s words. He hadn’t expected the younger man to be so calm about this so quickly. He was happy of course, but still a little weary. No one had ever accepted his… unique disposition without some struggle.

"Uh thanks. Do you have any burning questions or anything? There’s no way you’re just gonna be 100 percent okay with all of this."

"Hey, I try not to judge. You proved to me you aren’t some scary monster, hell you aren’t even scary. Just an amazing dancer."

"I could say the same to you."

"You’re stroking my ego man."

The two relaxed, leaning back against the wall. Their breathing finally evened out and they listened to the sounds of their coworkers’ late conversations drifting up to them.

"When did it start?"

The question was quiet, innocent. Through his peripherals he could see Ray’s eyes looking toward him, the thick frames of his glasses blocking his view of the brown orbs.

"I’ve had them since I was a kid. They were a lot milder, but not controlled. I hid it from my parents as best I could, practicing when they weren’t home and in my bedroom. I didn’t really get a good handle on them until college, when Burnie and Matt found out and didn’t give me shit for it."

Ray was silent, mulling over the information in his head. Joel continued.

"I’ve pretty much just used them to fuck with people since. I did get to work in a few haunted houses in my time in LA, sent a few people pissing their pants and kept getting fired."

The younger couldn’t help the flurry of laughter that fell from his lips, doubling over and clutching his sides. Joel joined in, running a hand through his hair and letting a small smile come over his face.

"So can other people see what’s going on when you change the scenery? Like can they walk in and suddenly be in the middle of an ocean?"

Joel made a hum at that, propping his chin in his palm. “Depends. Sometimes they include a sort of sheet that makes an outsider not see anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes they do just step right into the Pacific Ocean.”

"So why do your worlds seem so gigantic? Is it some weird perception kind of thing?"

"Yup. I can make your mind think things are bigger than they seem. Smaller too. I’m just cool like that."

Ray rolled his eyes, "Cool is totally the right word for that.”

"Oh shut up." Joel said as he playfully shoved Ray’s shoulder.

The two parted after that, the air much less tense and awkward. Ray promised he would join the other for lunch on Monday, and not to be alarmed when a Puerto Rican turned up in his office out of the blue. Joel just snided him, watching him walk down and out of the building. He was alone for a few minutes before Geoff came out of one of the offices behind him, smirking and sauntering back to the Achievement Hunter office.

"You two have it bad." Geoff quickly threw over his shoulder before disappearing altogether, leaving Joel no time to respond.

“Have what bad?” Joel muttered to himself as he packed up his stuff and left for the evening. 


	3. Chapter 3

Geoff’s words echoed in his head on his drive home. He made it sound like there was some sort of thing between him and his new coworker. That was crazy talk, and Joel was pretty much an expert on crazy.  Yet Geoff’s words formed solid letters in the air, hovering around his head. Joel growled at the distraction, willing the words away. Getting into a car accident was not something he needed right now.

With little problem he actually made it back to his apartment, but his thoughts still clung to a vague light of an idea that was stitching together in his mind. He thought back to the performance he put on for Ray, how Ray reacted. The dance recreated itself on Joel’s countertop in the form of two little figurines. Joel couldn’t help but smile at the tiny replicas of them spinning around elegantly on the marble surface. It was a 180 from their first meeting, maybe even more. From screams of fear to breathy laughter, Joel had managed to change how Ray felt about him in one fell swoop.

When the figurine’s dance had finished, the little Joel poofed in a cloud of gold dust, leaving the Ray behind. The Ray turned to Joel and gave him a confident bow before walking to the edge of the countertop.  One of his legs teased the edge; surely the figurine would break apart if he fell from such a height. But that would only be the case if he remained tiny. As he stepped off the edge, he spent no time falling as his entire being snapped to a life-sized Ray. Casual grin, and a relaxed demeanor, he was nearly identical to the real Ray.

The other Ray quirked an eyebrow at Joel, “Really? You literally just saw this kid at work like an hour ago, and you are already conjuring up his image.”

It looked like Ray, but it had the voice of Joel’s second thoughts. The thoughts that questioned everything he did. Either berating his actions or laughing at the dumb things he did. It’s a voice that Joel figured everyone had to some degree. Unfortunately for him, his voice ended up with a physical manifestation from time to time.

Joel hung his head and sighed, “You know, I was half hoping you would be sweet and doe-eyed and not… well… you.”

The Ray shrugged his shoulders, “Welp, you wouldn’t have to deal with this if you hadn’t made me in the first place, and you wouldn’t have made me if you had gotten his phone number like you should have.”

“Hey it’s not like—“

“Ah bup bup!” The Ray interrupted, putting his finger on Joel’s lips. “Don’t even TRY to make excuses for yourself around me. You fucked up, accept it.”

Joel hated this voice, he absolutely despised this voice.  The shit-eating grin plastered on the fake Ray’s face told him that it knew it too.

“You know, I don’t see how I ‘fucked up’ because I didn’t think getting his number was a part of my plan in the first place.” Joel argued against the finger.

The fake rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Alright. So, do me a favor and tell me why you made this dude. Why is your co-worker standing in your kitchen? I mean, I know you are already having fun denying what Geoff meant earlier, but give this some serious thought. Not just some ‘I was reflecting on my day’ bullshit because that would have ended with the dance.”

Joel blinked a few times, thrown off by the bluntness of the voice. His brain tripped up trying to wrap itself around the questions thrown at it and sudden straightforwardness of the voice. A record scratch skipped the natural flow of his brain, and it needed to be reset. There was something that he felt attach itself during the dance with Ray, something he couldn’t ignore. A reminder of the fluttering in his chest whenever he gazed upon the newbie’s shining smile.

During the dance, Joel felt an intimacy he had literally never felt before with another human being. Having always kept people at a safe distance, having another body so close to his in one of his worlds was something he had never experienced before. A closeness he wanted to keep.

“I—“ Joel faltered.

Ray’s eyes narrowed, flashing a bright amber in color, “You what?”

“I wanted to see him again already.” Joel admitted, running a shameful hand through his hair.

“More like you didn’t want him to leave your side so soon in the first place.” The other Ray corrected, his expression softening from cockiness to compassion. “It’s alright though. You’ve got it bad, but you’ll make it through.  You’ve got a lunch date on Monday, things will be okay.”

Joel looked into the bright eyes of the other Ray. It really wasn’t so much Ray anymore as it was some strange reflection of himself. The reflection reached up and put his arm on Joel’s shoulder. There was no warmth there that one would expect, there was no pressure, no weight. The hand didn’t actually exist, yet it rested on his shoulder.

“Now, dispel me, and don’t form him again, because you’ll look like a desperate bitch.”

Joel couldn’t help but laugh a little when the reflection disappeared in the familiar smoke of gold dust. He hated that fucking voice so much, but sometimes it was right.

—

Right as Joel was dealing with the after effects of his short time with his coworker, Ray was doing the same. He took to thinking during the 10 minute walk back to his humble abode. He figured he should try to talk to somebody about everything that had happened. Beginning with meeting the infamous Joel Heyman and nearly pissing his pants out of fear of the man’s unique abilities, to the much more promising events of today; deep magical illusions, a well-rehearsed dance, and upcoming lunch plans.

As he made it back to his apartment building, he climbed the dingy stairwell up to the 5th floor, walking out into the slightly less dingy hallway. He walked past his apartment, counting the number of doors he brushed past until he found the one he was looking for. 

He felt the turn of the doorknob ( _Leaving it open as always?),_ taking a second pause before bursting through the door and announcing his entrance in a grandiose fashion.

"TINA!"

"HOLY SHIT- Goddamn it Ray, what the fuck do you want?" Tina screamed nearly throwing the controller that was in her hands.

"What the hell were you doing?" Ray questioned working his way inside.

"Tetris bitch, what do you think?" Tina snarked.

"Goddammit Tina, you can’t beat my highscore in Tetris Splash no matter how hard you try."

"Hey, not true!"

"Now put the controller down and listen to me like the great friend you are."

Tina sighed and placed the controller on the table in front of her, ”…Fine.”

Unceremoniously plopping himself down on the couch to sit next to his friend, he began to recount the events of the past few days. His hands did much of the talking for himself, moving about wildly and animatedly.  He hardly noticed the way his voice sounded light, excited, and happy, but Tina sure did.

"Wait a second, did you say he had power of Discord?" She asked warily.

Ray nodded, “Yeah, like in My Little Pony. You know, turning stuff upside down, making it rain chocolate milk…”

"This is starting to sound more and more like a bad fanfic…"

"Shush.” Ray commanded. “So after all of that, we decided to have lunch on Monday, I walked back home, came down here and walked in on you playing Tetris."

Tina was silent for a few moments after he had finished, watching Ray’s face as she wrapped the information around her mind. Ray had a smile playing at his lips, his eyes looking bright and his posture even seeming more upright than usual. A warm, fond look came over her as she looked over at her neighbor. 

"You have it bad." She nudged his arm.

Ray drew a blank face, “Huh? Have what bad?”

"Really? You, the great BrownMan, with a near four hundred thousand gamerscore, need a simple neighbor to spell it out for you?"

"Tina-"

"No, no.” Tina interrupted, “Let me milk this a little longer. The Rose King, despite all of his dealings with the flowers of love, can’t even see what is right in front of him!"

Ray put a palm to his face, and rubbed his eyes, “I swear to god, Tina…”

"Alright fine. You’re lovestruck guy. Like a Japanese highschool girl passing her senpai in the hallway. Like Princess Peach when her beloved Mario rescues her yet again—“

_"Enough with the analogies dude, I get it!"_

“This guy has caught your eye, and if what you’ve told me is anything to go by, I’m pretty sure you’ve caught his too.”

When Ray went back to his own apartment that evening, he spent much of his nightly routine thinking about the things Tina had said to him. Before he had gone, she suggested he enjoy their lunch on Monday.

“Get a feel for your friendship okay? Don’t cop a feel though, that comes after the third date.” Tina joked before he left.

When he finally felt at ease with everything, he relaxed into his couch and mindlessly played through another Lego game until the sun peeked through his blinds. He had scattered dreams of bright lights and glittering gold, and he when he woke up he felt like he had been spinning. He continued his hunt for easy achievements, his weekend coming to an end sooner than he had expected.


	4. Chapter 4

Typically, no matter what you planned for the day, no matter how hard you tried to stay positive, Mondays were terrible. There was always the dry morning meeting, the headache of the looming workload; the tired mind from the weekend that didn’t un-stress that always impacted the outlook. For Joel, this “Monday moaning” was nothing compared to the over-friend nerves he was currently combating.

Somewhere between the conversation with the Fake Ray and late Sunday night, something clicked. A little fact that he was pretty much going on a date. A lunch date. So it wasn’t a date. But it could be a date. Do people his age even go on dates anymore? Was he going to pay? He should totally pay. A treat for the new guy, he’d say. Yeah it was just a friend-thing doing friend-thing stuff.

Not a date.

Or is it?

During the Monday Morning Meeting, Joel couldn’t help but steal glances in Ray’s direction. Just a quick peek here and there. Sure, he could look at Ray during their not-date later, but he didn’t’ say good morning earlier, so maybe he could say it telepathically by looking at him. (Totally a thing he could do… Not.)

The idea made sense at the time.

As if Ray could feel Joel’s eyes on him (and who knows, he probably did), Ray’s gaze wandered over to Joel. Eye contact. A sheepish smile paired with a quick wave completely fried Joel. Like he stuck a fork in an electrical socket. A loud zapping noise interrupted the meeting as all eyes turned to a half-charred Joel. It was as if he had stepped straight out of a cartoon. His left arm was black, burnt skin trailing up to a burnt shirt and a still bubbling face. The smell of burnt skin permeated the air. One little swirl of smoke rose from the tip of one of Joel’s electrified hair strands. Even his insides were burnt, and he could help the ash-filled coughing fit that soon came after.

The worst part of this entire thing was that everyone was looking at him. All eyes were on him. Some concerned, some afraid for their lives, and then he could feel Ray’s eyes on him as well. The gaze that didn’t know what to make of the situation. Just lost and unsure.

Luckily, or unluckily, Ray’s brain had a fantastic backup plan.

Ray’s doubled over laughter broke the intimidating silence. It wasn’t an awkward laugh either, it was a laugh that truly found the situation hilarious. The man was standing there a second ago, and now he’s burnt half to death coughing up smoke. It was actually funny because you knew that Joel was perfectly fine too. Ray’s laugh brought with it a chain of giggles, and everything was deemed okay. With a shake of Joel’s arm, he was back to normal, charred skin gone, lungs perfectly pink, and hair perfectly unsinged but still chaotic.

The rest of the meeting and the morning went without a hitch, but the only thing that wasn’t okay was Joel.  Ray’s fit of laughter earlier reminded Joel of exactly how bad he had it for the kid. The way his cheeks puffed out with his smile, the little crinkles on his eyes that appeared when he closed them, made Ray so much more adorable.

To say that Joel was swimming in nerves was an understatement, as is most things with Joel, but the point was that his office had become a small ocean. Complete with various types of fish and a gigantic sea turtle that swam by calmly. His inability to breathe became reality, and he was ‘drowning.’

Burnie stood outside Joel’s office, looking inside through the window. He thought for a second that maybe he should go in there and see what’s wrong, but the occasional fish that hit Joel in the head was too funny. Not to mention he really liked that sea turtle. He only tore his eyes away for a moment when he heard Ray coming up the stairs. Seeing the red-shirted lad, he tossed him a ‘hey’ and got one in return.

“Whatcha up to?” Burnie asked, curious as to why he was upstairs.

“Ah, nothing. Just fetching Joel for lunch. He’s taking me for food.” Ray said as he neared Joel’s door.

Clearly, Ray had no idea that the office was currently flooded, and Burnie wasn’t going to tell him. Nope. He wanted to see how this shit was going to play out. He couldn’t help the grin on his face when Ray’s fingers curled around the gold knob.

Bwoosh! Water by the gallons rushed out of the door, soaking Ray entirely. How he didn’t get swept off his feet and thrown down to the first floor is only a matter of Discord. That’s the same reason none of the electronics were harmed by the releasing of the ocean. Yet after the room finally emptied, Ray was left sopping wet. A fish or two wriggled in his shirt.

Burnie’s howling laughter that followed was much like Ray’s that had happened earlier.

Joel scrambled from his desk over to Ray, “Oh my god, Ray I’m so sorry.” With a wave of his hand, Ray dried up. All traces of the water evaporated from his clothes, and his hair was precisely as it was before. Burnie was still laughing, but there was a scowl on Ray’s face.

“At least take me on a real date before you try and make me wet. Seriously.” Ray joked making Burnie snort even louder.

Joel smirked and twirled a finger above Ray’s head, “Well, turn your butt around, and we can take a step in that direction if you feel like it.”

A chorus of ‘oohs’ sang out from around the desks that littered the upstairs as the two of them left. Ray felt the tips of his ears burn with a trace of embarrassment. Strange, because he was totally fine making lewd comments, but as Joel’s gentle hand on his back guided him out the door, something changed. Made it a little more real. As real as anything ended up with Joel around.

Joel did a gentlemanly thing, and opened the car door for Ray so he could slip inside.

“So, where are we headed?” Ray asked as Joel started the engine and pulled through the front gate.

“The cheapest place around here. Chipotle. ” Joel answered, keeping his concentration on the road.

“Ah man, and here I was thinking we’d be going to a place where we’d reserve a table and look way out of place for being underdressed.” Ray teased.

“Well. Here’s my plan. This goes well, and over the weeks we build up to a nice ass restaurant.”

“Ha. I like that plan. Basically I get free lunch at least once a week?”

Joel smirked, “I enjoy that you just assume that I’m going to pay every time.”

Ray tilted his head, “Well, I’m not wrong, am I?”

Joel laughed, “I guess you aren’t.”

The red sign of Chipotle came into view and they pulled in. They ordered food and sat down. Simple action, simple words shared between them. But this was the time where they actually pushed away all their office games to get to honestly know one another. Joel was enticed by the boy. Learning about his life before Roosterteeth, the job that barely kept him afloat along with making videos for Geoff, and how easy his transition had been. Ray had already been living on his own; the only thing that was of concern was how far he was away from family. Not to mention their birthdays were only one day apart.

“You know,” Ray started, twirling the straw in his cup, “I’m surprised you didn’t try and impress me by turning your car into a plane or some shit like that.”

Joel sighed heavily, “Okay, so I take you out to eat, plan on making this a regular thing, and actually have been normal, and you aren’t impressed? Am I supposed to make your entire world like an old Japanese silk print? Smoke and dragons and Tanukis with their balls hanging out and all that?”  A tiny green eastern dragon appeared out of nowhere and slithered across the table. And the entire surface of the table had become darkened silk, but still able to support their food. Floral patterns danced in circles and white waves weaved in between.  A mixed painting on display for Ray to witness.

“Better?” Joel grumbled.

Ray spiraled into a fit of giggles, “I can’t believe you took me seriously! I was already impressed, you old goat!”

“Goat?” Joel repeated at Ray. His ears became large and spade shaped, covered in black fur. Two curled horns sprouted from the top of his head. His eyes widened, and slid on his face, moving to the edges. His pupils became rectangular as the whites yellowed. Hair sprouted all over his face in a grey and white pattern that ran up the middle. The hair on his chin slithered down into a full on goatee.  He gave himself a goat head.

“Baaah.” Joel said with emphasis, leaning over and chomping on the food on his plate. Big teeth gnawed away. Ray couldn’t stop laughing.

“Jesus Christ.” Ray barked between gasping breaths.” You're going to kill me. Stahp."

"It's okay." Joel comforted as he dinged a halo over his goat horns. "I'd be right beside you. Baaah."

Ray wheezed, "You look like the goat from Michael and Gav's Goat simulator!" 

With a poof, Joel’s head returned to normal, except he kept the horns. He wore them proudly for the rest of their lunch date and Ray occasionally glanced up at them. They stood proudly on his head, as if the horns had always belonged there. Oddly enough, it seemed as people didn’t notice that the man had horns on his head either. With how they were positioned, someone could have mistaken them as being attached to a headband.

I seemed as he had forgotten they were on his head too, because when the two of them had finished their meal, they tried leaving. “Tried” being an important word because the height added from the horns was precisely enough to make it impossible for Joel to get through the door. He found out well enough when they clacked against the metal frame and yanked his head backward. Heads spun in their direction. Ray could have sworn he heard the vertebrae in Joel’s neck snap back into place.

“Shit.” Joel grunted as he backpedaled.  He rubbed neck to sooth the electric ache that was threatening to form as he removed the horns from his head. Like all his other reality-shifting things he created, they disappeared without a trace.

“You ‘aight?” Ray asked worriedly, taking a step closer to him, but Joel put his hands up defensively, stopping him from getting any closer.

“Yeah, I’m good, let’s go.” Joel grimaced and ushered him out the door. 

Ray said nothing as they got back to Joel’s car. “Seriously, are you okay?”  He asked when he sat in the seat.

Joel ran his teeth along his bottom lip, pulling the pink flesh. He didn’t respond until he had started the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot. Long fingers pulled at his black hair nervously. They kept touching the spot the horns had been. He scratched at the surface of his scalp as if he was trying to convince himself that he had actually put them there. The car sped down the road as his focus was mainly on his head. For a moment, Ray was sure that he was going to crash, but the pulled into the 636 parking lot in no time at all.

“Joel?” Ray tried again, after Joel made no effort to move out of the car.

The bony hand finally left his head as he turned to look at Ray. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just—I had a fantastic time, and we are definitely doing this again. I just need to think about a thing.”

“A thing?”

“Yeah, a thing. A small thing that’s a big thing but not a big thing because it’s a small thing.”

Ray grinned, enjoying how much sense Joel made. The amount being none at all. For how worried Ray had been, he didn’t feel like the mood had been ruined. Someone like Joel got flustered, and mulled over mistakes only to get over them in time. If something like that had happened to Ray, he’d probably react the same way.

“Alright, just don’t break your brain, we can’t do this again if you do.” Ray teased. He reached over and brushed his fingers against Joel’s hand. A little touch of reassurance to give a buzzing mind a moment of silence. Something to short-circuit the connections, and bring him back down to the car. The moment now, not the moments in the past, not the worry of the future, but now.

Joel blinked for a few seconds at the feathery touch. A smile lit up on his face. “Yeah, I promise not to make too much of a mess of myself. We got to take a step up for our next ‘date’ of sorts.”

“Damn right.” Ray agreed before finally exiting the vehicle. Joel followed.


	5. Chapter 5

The dates that followed were as fun as the first. It seemed that the two would never run out of things to talk about. Half the time, Joel made the stories in visuals, making figurines that played out the scenes for Ray. Like Jordan’s animated adventures, but better. The moments of silence, if any, weren’t awkward. If anything, the moments allowed them to fully take in the other. To honestly look at them and memorize various features. Like the small wrinkles that showed when Joel smiled, or the roundness of Ray’s cheeks.

But date after date had become about four months, and it seemed that while they had moved up into ‘fancier’ restaurants, they still hadn’t had an official date. In the back of Ray’s brain, he knew that wasn’t really their style, but sometimes you need a tradition to make things real. One big event to glue it all together. They only needed the cement to fix any cracks their relationship could fall through. Knowing Joel, he could literally make that cement if he needed to. It wouldn’t be necessary, but he could, and probably would for the hell of it.

After talking to Tina about it, her spunkiness told Ray to get his shit together and stop waiting for Joel. That he should be the one to set up the date, and drag Joel’s big butt there. To an outsider like Tina, it was obvious that the older man was altogether scared. A kind of fear seeped into his bones that dreaded the next step in their relationship. No matter how many laughs and how many lunch-dates they had, there would always be a lingering apprehension that maybe, just maybe that Ray wouldn’t like him. Ray looked at Tina and told her that kind of thinking is bullshit.

“Yeah,” She agreed, “but you can’t tell me you haven’t ever felt similar in your life.”

Ray scratched at the skin above his left eyebrow. “I suppose you’re right, and a man like Joel who has too much to worry about to begin with, wouldn’t worry any less.”

Tina smirked and slapped Ray on the back, “Now go set up that date, and enjoy the fuck out of yourselves.”

\--

The lunch hour on Friday rolled around, and as expected by those in the AH office, Joel had peeked his head through the door. Ray met his eyes. With a shrug of his head, he silently told Ray to come along. Instead of Ray bouncing to his feet like normal, he sat there. Chin lifted in a smug look.

“Nope.” Ray stated simply.

Joel moved all the way in the office, closing the white door behind him. “What?”

“Not today.” Ray said, leaning back in his chair. He put his hands up behind his head. “I’m not in the mood for one of our not-dates.”

Joel’s mouth moved in protest. The muscles on the sides of his lips twitched in attempt to make words spill. Silence. That’s all that surfaced. Hands clenched and unclenched as worry flooded through his veins.  How one moment of rejection, a disruption in something Joel had grown comfortable in, tore him down. Ray could see the whirlwind behind Joel’s eyes. That familiar golden sparkle dimmed.

Ray wanted to reach out, to catch the Joel that was falling right in front of him but then he saw it. He saw Joel catch himself. It was in the shake of his head that he knew that Joel was going to be okay. That Joel had halted his thoughts quick enough before they exploded.

“Right. That’s okay.” Joel nodded, putting on a smile for show. “You could have texted me, though.”

Ray shrugged, “I suppose you’re right. My mistake. But uh, hey, since you’re down here, can I ask for a ride home after work today?”

Ray watched Joel’s throat shift as he swallowed. “Uh. Yeah. Sure. I wouldn’t mind. See you after work.”

Just as silently as he came in, Joel left, closing the door behind him. Michael glanced over to Ray who had gone back to working on his computer.

“What the hell was that about? He looked like a kicked puppy.”

“Eh. He’ll be alright. Trust me.” Ray reassured Michael.

\--

“You ready to go?” Ray asked Joel later, waiting by the Rooster Teeth entrance. His backpack hung off one shoulder like usual.  Joel jingled the keys in his hand and smiled his way. From the return of the sparkle in the elder man’s eyes, everything was okay once again.

Ray almost couldn’t wait to make it better.

They quickly pulled into the parking lot of Ray’s apartment complex and Ray all but forcibly pulled Joel out of the vehicle after he had parked. Joel tried protesting, saying he had things to do at home, but the other knew better and called him out on his bullshit. Every step up the stairs the older man whined, making Ray giggle.

“Oh you big baby, you’re just hanging out for a bit. And don’t you dare make a pacifier or some weird shit because I am not into that by any means.”

Joel pouted with a big fat lip. “But Raaaay.”

“But what? You don’t want to make up for the time we lost by not having lunch together?”

Joel looked appalled, “Hey, that was your decision.”

“And dragging you into my apartment is my decision too!”

“It’s also my decision to say no!”

Ray stopped right in front of his door, looking at Joel incredulously. “Why not?”

Joel shuffled his feet. “Well. I just—Look. I have problems controlling myself, my powers, as it is. Around you, it’s even harder. At least when we are at work, or in a public place I have more people to worry about. I can keep myself in check. But like, here, in a private place, who knows? It’s like when I’m sitting in my office, and I summon an ocean. I’m not aware of it happening, it just happens.”

Ray jingled keys of his own, and unlocked the door, pushing it open. He didn’t enter, instead he continued standing where he was. The door was a challenge to Joel, for him to enter unfamiliar territory, for him to test himself. Ray wasn’t afraid, and Joel shouldn’t be either.

“It’s not like you are going to set my place on fire, and if you did, it wouldn’t actually be on fire, right?” Ray prompted.

“Well. No.” Joel chewed on his bottom lip. “Your place would technically be fine, but it would seem real enough, you know that.”

“And you know that too!” Ray argued, “Now get in my damn apartment before I get Tina. She’s scarier than any illusion you could conjure.”

Joel swallowed, hesitantly taking steps into the doorway. Once all the way through, Ray entered and closed the door behind him, enclosing Joel in a new world. This world consisted of an overly tidy and small apartment, still needing a touch hominess to it from its barren walls. The kitchen was spotless, save for a few dishes that slept in the sink. Past the kitchen was the living room, tan furniture the same color as the fuzzy carpet. Vacuum trails still visible from the last time Ray used the machine. And while Joel didn’t look beyond the living room, he only assumed that Ray’s bedroom was just as spotless. But even with the barrenness of it, Joel could tell that it was Ray that lived there. The borderline-obsessive organization of each console on his computer table,  the fanart that was stacked in a corner, and the tuxedo mask plushie that sat on top of his computer tower, was very much Ray.

Not to mention that with every breath he took, he caught a whiff of Ray’s scent. It smelled warm, earthy, like potter’s soil with a touch of cinnamon. All of Joel’s nerves melted away as he stood in the middle of living room.

“I hope you know that you’re cleaning that up.” Ray said, snapping Joel out of his thoughts.

When the older man looked at himself, he noticed that he was surrounded in orange Marigolds.  He had left a trail of flowers from the door to where his feet stood. A few more popping up as he realized he was making them. His cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment as he waved his hand and made the flowers disappear.

“I just walked in and already lost control.” Joel said shamefully.

“Nah.  It’s not that different from when you electrocuted yourself in the middle of our meeting the other day.” Ray comforted as he trotted his way next to Joel. “Now here.” Ray started, placing his arms on Joel’s shoulders and shoving him roughly. Joel landed on the couch behind him, bouncing on the cushion. “Sit you ass down, and watch some TV. I’m going to take a shower real quick.”

Sinking into the couch and playing with the remote, he was overwhelmed by the scent of Ray once again. The off-hours he must have spent in this seat were recorded by his smell. It made Joel’s brain blur happily. The remote was quickly ditched to abyss of couch cushions as Joel smushed his face into the arm. One breath in, another breath out, it was like fairies were tickling the insides of his lungs. This was Ray in a form he couldn’t even imagine and it boggled his mind. It was a smell that held a past and promise of a future.

Joel fell between the cushions and into a flower field. Roses and Marigolds as far as the eye could see. The sky above him was tinted pink, the clouds that drifted by were a gold color. The smell that brought him here seeped into his body. The flowers he lay next to crawled onto his sensitive skin. Petals weaved into each other, making a red and orange scaled blanket that covered him.

His eyelids threatened to close, losing him forever in this dreamscape, but a voice reached out to him.

“Joel?” Ray called, seemingly lost in the field of flowers.

Joel’s eyes snapped into sharp clarity, tearing the pink sky in two, and destroying the dream. The flowers wilted, and he resurfaced on the sofa.  Joel turned to the hallway where Ray now stood.

Joel’s jaw dropped.

Ray had dressed into something _other_ than a t-shirt and shorts. He was wearing a black long sleeved dress shirt, all buttoned up nicely, a yellow tie expertly knotted at his neck, black dress pants held snuggly by a belt, and shiny-ass dress shoes. The man looked like he was ready for a night on the town and Joel would follow his ass wherever it went.

Joel floated off the couch and over to Ray, where he began to tug at Ray’s sleeves. “Woah, what’s the special occasion?”

“Well, you see,” Ray teased lightly, “I think I’m hungry, and I know just the place, however, you aren’t going dressed like that.”

Joel looked down at himself. He was wearing his usual attire: a snug v-neck and cargo shorts, having abandoned his Longhorns hoodie when he entered the apartment.

Joel frowned. “But I thought you liked my paper-thin shirts.”

Ray shook his head, letting out an airy chuckle. “I still do. Now get your ass changed. Just use those fancy powers of yours so we can get going.”

Those words sent an cold feeling through the Joel, and his frown grew. But he did as he was told; waving his hand and appearing in an outfit similar to Ray’s own. He wore a matching yellow tie, an equally as black suit jacket in place of the dress shirt, and matching shiny ass dress shoes. Ray let out a chiding ‘ooh’ before moving past the older man and back out to the car. Joel remained rooted to his spot for a few moments, running a hand through his unruly hair before following behind.

This date was definitely not like the others. It was a nicer venue; a classy Italian restaurant in the middle of the city, filled with hushed whispers and couples sitting close and intimately. They had been used to rambunctious fast food restaurants, overrun with snot-nosed children and harsh incandescents. The two were in a fairly secluded section, sharing the dim space with only one other party who mainly kept to themselves. Ray did most of the talking, which was already a huge difference itself, while Joel… didn’t really do anything. There were no figurines, flowers, anything that had become a constant of their time together. It made Ray anxious; he wasn’t so dense to not notice that Joel was very very uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do, trying to fill the silence between them with shitty stories and jokes.

Joel was festering; he had paled as soon as he saw the exterior of the restaurant. This was actually serious. This was an… actual date. Not just another lunch outing, no this was a “let’s have dinner together sometime” kind of deal.  

And he was freaking out.

Joel liked Ray. He liked spending time with him, watching the way his eyes twinkled at his illusions and his sorry attempts for jokes. He liked what they had, the simple lunch outings with his coworker (that he probably liked a bit more than he should have). Ray seemed to make sparks fire off inside his chest, like fireworks and sparklers on the 4th of July. It unnerved him how easily this 20-something slightly-normal human nerd had wormed his way into his life.

But he was much more unnerved when it came to Ray and his powers.

He had always been in control of them- well, not always. He hated to think back on how he was forced to hide it from his parents, the stress of high school almost “destroying” his house on more than one occasion (Illusions of the walls slowly rotting didn’t constitute destruction, did it?) He was truly grateful to Burnie and Matt, the first two people he gathered the courage to tell about his powers. They could only gawk at him as he transformed himself into a mish-mash of creatures mythical and mundane, not allowing them to play it off as an elaborate costume. His hands and feet became clawed and sharp, wings sprouting from his back and horns growing upon his head. In all honesty, he looked like a monster. But his friends, ever the science fiction geeks, lit up like Las Vegas. They became incoherent, babbling about how cool he looked and near begging him to help them in their next movie. It gave him the perfect space to practice, quickly learning how he could affect the world around him as well as himself. He managed to get them under control. Even as they moved from college to Rooster Teeth, meeting more and more people who accepted his oddities, he maintained that control with practiced ease. He never let his office become flooded with water, or allow a field of marigolds to suddenly bloom in someone’s apartment. But Ray made him lose everything he had built up for over 20 years.

Joel liked Ray, but he did not like losing control.

So he simply refused to use them. Not even when Ray began to tell him about his work day, wanting more than anything to talk about his own with his hands and colors and figurines. It took a lot for him to contain them, his mind struggling to listen to the younger man and keep his powers in check at the same time. He knew he was being distant, making what should be a pleasant dinner with his coworker (that he definitely liked more than he should have) awkward and stuffy.

Ray had no idea what was going through Joel’s head. He figured it was related to their current.. outing in some way, but he didn’t dare say anything in case it simply made it worse. It was hard not to outright ask what was wrong; curiosity tugged at him, the question wanting to spill from his mouth at any moment. But he relented, forcing himself to enjoy this time they shared together regardless of the heavy uncomfortable air settled around them. Every now and again, he would receive a smile in return from the older man when he said something, lifting his spirits and assuring him that the other was trying his best to do the same.

When they finally finished their meal, they split the bill and quickly exited out into the cool Austin night. The hum of downtown and bustling streets filled their ears as the two began to walk the few blocks back to Joel’s car. The older man seemed to visibly relax with a sigh, shoulders not so scrunched and tense and face not pulled into the tight frown he had worn most of the night.

Joel felt another hand slip into his own, and he turned to see Ray with a slight flush on his cheeks, eyes darting anywhere but the older man’s face. The grip tightened as Ray looked up and their eyes met, staying that way even when they turned their gaze back to the sidewalk with smiles bright on their faces.

“Hey queers! The fuck do you think you’re doing?” An angry voice called from behind them. Joel let go of Ray’s fingers and spun around. Ray did the same. They had come face to face to two shady looking men with smirks that gleamed in the lamplight. Looking like they had just stepped out of videogame cannon fodder 101, the two tried standing as menacingly as possible.  Thug + homophobe made for a perfect combination to ruin a night completely.

Despite knowing exactly how well this wasn’t going to go, Joel couldn’t help but try and go a peaceful route. “Can we help you?” He asked politely.

“Yeah, you fucks are a little too close, don’t ya think?” The smaller of the two snickered taking a step closer.

One thing Ray learned from living in New York his entire life was not to fuck with people like this. Not to screw around with those that had knives at the ready, wanting to paint their metal with blood. Some messed up artwork of antagonism and flesh that soothed their souls. Even now, they looked upon Ray and Joel like prey, wolfish grins plastered on their faces like good little minions. There’s never really a good way to deal with people like this. You turn your back, you get a knife, you talk back, you get a knife, you do nothing, you get a knife, it’s a lose-lose and nothing more.

Ray tugged on Joel’s sleeve and whispered, “C’mon, let’s just run, we don’t need to deal with these guys.”

“Nah. I got this.” Joel had a knack for confrontational situations like this. He had a hidden type-A personality underneath the charm and reality distortion.  But that part never came out to play unless he was threatened.  And after having to hold himself back, he was eager to explode with his powers and having every excuse to do so. 

Joel turned his attention back to other men, “Yeah, we’re pretty close, I think. And from the looks of it, so are you guys. Wanna go on a double date?”

The larger of the two spit on the ground, “Fucking disgusting.”

“So is spitting on the ground, but I’m not gonna stop you on the street for it.”

“You shut your fucking mouths, you freaks, or we’ll cut your tongues out!”

Joel’s mouth upturned into a devil’s grin. “Freaks? Maybe. Wanna see just how ‘freaky’ I can be?”  Joel took a step toward the men, and as if on reflex, the two men pulled out switch blades. The cold steel glinted in the lamplight.

“Joel don’t do this!” Ray pleaded.

Joel threw a glance back, “Don’t worry. Really. I’ve got this.” A wooden chair appeared behind Ray and scooted itself into Ray’s legs, forcing him to sit promptly on its cushioned surface. “Our dinner lacked a show, so I think I’ll give you one myself.”

“Besides gay people, are you terrified of anything else, my boys? Spiders, perhaps? Or maybe ghosts? Hm, I wonder what kind of picture you paint in your nightmares. Let’s find out, shall we?” Joel nearly hummed.

He raised his arm up in the air, and the ground below the men started boiling. Bubbles of concrete blew up in acid that splashed around their feet. “What the fuck!?” One man cried out as he began to dance around for solid ground but he couldn’t find any; the ground had turned into grey bubbling putty and they were both starting to sink. The lampposts that had illuminated their attack sprouted arms that swung at the two men. The sky above them looked like messed up galaxies mixed with streams of numbers straight from the matrix.  Purple-feathered snakes crawled out of their wrists and constricted their arms in spirals. Horrified screams erupted from the men as the swung uselessly with their knives at the horrors in front of them.

“You’re a fucking monster!” The one cried as he fought the illusions.

“A monster?” Joel feigned taken offense, “No. Surely you have me mistaken for yourselves.

Ray sat in his chair with his fingers digging into the seat. He was just as afraid as their attackers were. The nightmare that played out in front of him reminded him of the things he saw when they first met. The power to bend reality to the point of not remembering what reality even looks like played out in an uncontrolled burst before him. Even though he wasn’t on the receiving end of the illusions, he could feel the fear deep in his bones.

 It made him wonder, was Joel really a monster, or just someone with an unfortunate power?

Were the things that were pulling at the men’s skins something that the universe created or were they from Joel’s imagination? Was this his mind? The man that flooded the office in his nerves, electrocuted himself in the shock of staring at someone? The man that could make beautiful figurines that danced with elegance that rivaled Julliard’s top dance students- could make dainty little gold birds that blew up into gold dust that glittered in the sunlight, was the same man as the one before him now, sitting atop a throne of skulls and looking down at their suffering like they were toys?

Something didn’t feel right.

“Please! Make it stop! We’re sorry! Just make it stop! I don’t want to die!”

Ray was about to scream out too, to beg Joel to make it stop because these men didn’t deserve it, but he didn’t have to. The nightmare stopped, Ray was upright, the men were on their knees, and Joel was standing in the same spot he was before.  The lampposts were back where they belonged, the snakes were gone, the concrete no longer gelatinous, everything was back to normal.

“And neither do we. Maybe think about that kind of shit before you try and attack someone. I’m sure other people like me exist, and they probably would have killed you on the spot. Treat everyone with respect, no matter their orientation, and you won’t have to live the fear you just did ever again. Do you understand?”  Joel’s voice lost all of its demonic playfulness and dipped into absolute seriousness.

The two men whimpered out yeses and curled up on the ground.  Their grips on reality absolutely shattered and no amount of band aids and mother’s kisses would heal that break so easily. A new fear had been tattooed into their brains, one they won’t forget.

“I’m sorry,” Joel apologized to them with a defeated sigh, “I’m sure that you’ll be okay. Really. I’m sure that maybe you’ll just think of this night as bad trip or something like that.”

Slowly, Joel turned his back to the two men and started walking away. His hand brushed Ray’s shoulder and turned him around to walk with him. They said nothing to each other as the continued down the street.


	6. Chapter 6

“Fuck.” Joel groaned, rubbing at the skin on his face. Ray looked up. It was the first word said between them in about ten minutes. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry about that. I really fucked up back there, didn’t I?”

Ray could see the regret plastered on his face. Joel couldn’t even glance at him because he was so far gone in his own head. Probably replaying what he did over and over like a one-track cassette tape. Fingers grabbed at his hair, tugging it up, making it even crazier than it already was. He picked at his bottom lip with his pearly-white teeth.

“You probably think I’m a monster again…” He muttered, “I’m really not, I swear. I just…  I’m sorry I’m not a monster, okay? I don’t like people like that. I can’t stand people like that. People that would spill your guts for a penny. Those people are the real monsters. But like, I still shouldn’t have done that, nnnnggh.”

Joel had stopped and started flailing his hands around trying to describe exactly what he was feeling at the time and how worried he was that Ray was going to start hating him. He didn’t mean to lose control like that, kind of like how when they met, but it was a different kind of control loss. He lost it in anger toward awful people, and not out of whatever had happened between them that day they met. He still didn’t know what that was about.  Really, that doesn’t matter, but what matters now is that Ray hopefully wasn’t afraid of him. And if Ray was Joel was really, really sorry.  Has Joel said he’s sorry yet?

“Joel.”

“I mean, I can like start begging for forgiveness if I have to, I am prepared to ruin these pants.”

“Joel.”

“Although these pants are actually not really here so it’s not much of a loss for me. But I feel like the meaning still remains. Wouldn’t it? Ruining fancy pants means something.”

“Joeeel.”

“Then again, you aren’t one for looks, so a little bit of dirt on pants wouldn’t be that much of a sacrifice to you. Maybe I could do something else as an apology. Maybe not use my powers for a week or something? You know to prove that I’m totally okay? Would that work? I’m sorry Ray.”

“Holy fuck!” Ray bopped Joel on the head, “Shut up already!”

“Ow!” Joel yelped as Ray dragged his brain back to the ground.

“It’s alright.”

“What?”

“It’s alright.” Ray said. “I… I get it. I’m not afraid of you, okay? Yeah, that shit was scary, and I hope you never do that again, but I’m not afraid of you.”

Ray meant it. Sure, Joel’s powers were absolutely terrifying, but what he saw wasn’t new to him. In a way, it was tamer than the borderline animal torture he had seen when they met. So the powers themselves were something to fear, but not Joel. No, Joel was a guy that cared with everything he had and thought way too much to be healthy. But he was always sincere in his emotions, and Ray respected that. Part of Joel couldn’t hide his feelings, and even if he tried, they’d manifest themselves in things like cotton candy phoenixes. Deep down Joel was a cute ‘old’ man and Ray wouldn’t want him any other way.

Joel blinked, “You serious?”

“Yeah.”  Ray reached forward and took Joel’s hand in his, “C’mon you big lug, let’s get home, this tie is beginning to strangle me.”

Joel tightened his fingers around Ray’s. “Thank you.” He said.

“No problem.”

—

Overweight paper Chinese dragons swirled above Joel’s head that night as he stirred in his bed, thinking about the entirety of their date.  Their fat lumps looked more like cancer in their long bellies and it reminded him of some messed up child’s mobile. Joel always went with dragons swirling when he wanted to get his ever-racing mind to slow down enough for sleep. He tried sheep once, but he started getting annoyed by their bleating, and they started jumping into wood chippers. Even if that was only an illusion, having his room splattered in sheep blood and wool did not an easy sleep make.  The dragons were nice though, because while they snorted little puffs of smoke from time to time, they didn’t make noise. They swirled around like koi fish in a pond, except in the air. The best part about them was the more Joel’s mind drifted from them, the faster they spun so they’d get his attention again.

Needless to say, they were flying in tornado speeds because his attention was far from the dragons. The date, their first real date, had been a goddamn disaster from start to finish. Joel honestly regretted that more than anything. Their first real date should have been something incredible and fun for the both of them.  They should have been holding hands and laughing until they were crying. They shouldn’t have needed to put pressure on themselves like they had. Joel also shouldn’t have nearly fucked everything up by mentally torturing those two assholes. The date should have been a real step forward for their relationship, but it felt to Joel like he snapped his leg and tumbled his way down concrete steps. On the way down, his limbs were flailing like something straight from Gary’s Mod.

But Joel couldn’t say that it was entirely horrible. It was a date, and that means that Ray wanted to take this seriously. That they weren’t going to just do the dance of cheesy lunch dates and constant flirting, they were going to do more. Go beneath the surface and illusions to find the real heart beneath them both. Joel admitted to himself that he had wanted that for a long time now, and the idea that Ray wanted it as well made his heart pound in his chest. One of the dragons that had gotten tired from his endless air cycling had now turned to a leisurely pace. His mind matched the slow air dance of the dragon as peace began to settle in.

Yes, they had made a first step, and even though Joel broke his metaphorical leg, he was still able to walk. Hopefully the two of them could continue their climb further into their relationship.

And Joel knew just how to make their second date even better.

With a newfound happiness, the dragons were able to pull Joel into an easy sleep.

—

“I know those clumsy footsteps! How’d the date go?”

As soon as Ray set foot in his apartment, he had a face full of Tina. She was looking up at him behind her glasses expectantly, that shit-eating smirk on her face that Ray couldn’t find it in himself to hate.

“I should never have given you a key to my apartment. All you do is mooch and nag at me.”

“You aren’t getting rid of me anytime soon. Now don’t change the subject, how was it?”

Ray let out a sigh, putting his keys and wallet on the table and moving to fall on his couch. Tina followed, clearly refusing to hear nothing less than a full post-date report.

“To be honest? It kind of sucked.”

He recounted to her the events of that night, the tense dinner and encounter with the two men afterwards. He shared his feelings as well, the fear that returned as Joel used his powers in a much more menacing way than he was used to and the confusion when he hadn’t used them earlier at all. Tina sat crisscrossed on Ray’s couch, looking entirely at home in his apartment. She listened intently, nodding and humming at regular intervals to assure he had her attention. He was happy to have her as a close friend and confidant, spending countless nights just hanging out and talking.

“So you’re telling me… that Joel, one of the biggest showoffs on the planet, didn’t use his magical powers for the whole date, except to terrorize two guys trying to mug you?”

Ray nodded, and Tina made another loud hum.

Then she burst into laughter.

“T-that! Is the fu-funniest shit I’ve ever heard-!”

Scratch that, she was the worst friend ever. She was getting kicked out immediately.

“Are you serious right now?”

Obviously not. She was clutching her sides as if she was going to rip at the seams from laughing so hard. Her glasses landed with a thud on the couch and her hair fell over her face as she literally doubled over. Ray waited, eye twitching and foot thumping against the hard floor. It took her another few minutes to compose herself again,

“Ray, you are a fucking idiot.”

He squawked in protest, quickly cut off as Tina continued speaking.

“He obviously cares enough to literally mindfuck two dickheads who were messing with you, then apologize for it because he scared you. I think you might have something going for you.”

He didn’t want to believe her. He wanted so much to simply write her words off as something designed to make him feel better. But they held some truth to them; Joel cared. He cared enough to go out on a stuffy date just because Ray asked. He even made those nightmares for him, to protect him from the two men on the street. A grim thought went through his brain at that notion: if Joel could make those horrible things to protect him, then what could he do if he meant harm? Joel was usually as harmless as a fly. He wasn’t the kind of guy to throw a punch to the arm or an elbow to the ribs, preferring poking as the best method of silent communication. The Joel who created those horrific illusions was not the same smiley, pokey man who he had come to know. And that scared the shit out of him.

“Ray…”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ray shook those negative notions away. What was he thinking? Joel would never hurt him! Joel was Joel for crying out loud. Joel was neurotic, a workaholic and obsessed with the American gold market whom Ray had truly come to enjoy spending time with these past months. And he was excited at the possibility of doing it more and more, and that their relationship could start to blossom into something serious. Ray had already decided this earlier; he really shouldn’t have so easily been thrown down that path again. He turned back to Tina, who simply had that knowing smug grin plastered over her face like she followed Ray’s entire thought process.

“Why do I keep you around again?”

“Because I’m fantastic. Now tell me I’m right…”

“Yes Tina, you’re right.”

“Damn straight. I’m always right.”

—

The rest of the weekend was spent in their respective homes. Joel watching TV lazily sometimes bothering Jack or Adam, while Ray did what he did best: play video games. They did chat over text though. Simple, funny little conversations over things like socks (not stocks, if you can believe that), and Ray’s ironic Brony status.  Conversations like this let Joel know that they’d be alright. He could pick up on the mood from Ray’s texts and could respond in kind with ease. Emotions are conveyed through text in different ways from speech. You can’t rely on the tonal fluctuations and facial cues that make up the majority of spoken communication. Moods are portrayed in text via the energy put into the text itself. The word choice is the biggest factor, along with the sheer number of words in the text message. The more energy put into the message, typically the higher word count and excitable word choice.

One of the indicators for Ray that he was paying attention to his texts was that he’d take the time to spell out entire words. He really liked to slaughter ‘you’ into ‘u’ like no other. Typing in those extra two letters really did make a noticeable difference. It’s like a special saying of “You’re worth it” and Joel loved seeing it. It gave him the confidence he needed for his plan.

“So… I was thinking…” was the text Joel sent off after one of their conversations had reached an end. Confidence aside, he still was nervous, and swarms of fluffy pink bumblebees infested his apartment. Granted, they were harmless and instead of threatening buzzes, they hummed warmly. Kind of like that anime mother with the perfect smile and takes care of her child (until she ultimately dies in some horrific manner). 

“You do that a lot. You should maybe tone it down a bit.” The snark made Joel smile for the thirtieth time that day.

“I wouldn’t be me if I did, would I?”

“That’s very true.”

“So… I was thinking… we should try another date.” Joel’s heart was thundering, but he sent the message. As soon as the “message sent!” indicator popped on the screen, the swarm of bees dissipated and were replaced by four curious turquoise raccoons that piled in his lap. They were the weight of his waiting for Ray to answer. They squirmed in his lap much like his own insides were doing. He flipped his phone upside down on the arm of the chair and played with the fur balls.

They (Joel included) all jerked up straight when his phone violently buzzed. The answer had arrived. As if trying to prevent him from reading the answer, the raccoons climbed on his arm and clung for dear life. Joel willed them away, and with squeaks they turned into dust. Flipping over his phone, the message was indeed from Ray. Who else could it have been anyway?

Raking his teeth over his lip, he opened the message.

“Of course! We really need a redo, don’t we? Just let me know when and where.”

Oh thank fuck. Joel beamed a smile and rapidly typed away at his phone.

“How about next Friday after work? Just leave everything to me, and hopefully we’ll be crying by the end of it.”

“Good crying? Because I don’t like the bad crying.”

“Good crying, I assure you.”

“I’m gonna hold you up to that.”

“You have the Joel Gold Guarantee.” Yeah, Joel was cheesy at times, but Ray ate it up. He’d serve it until it became as old as most of Ray’s catchphrases. Yolo.


	7. Chapter 7

Ray had been waiting all week for Friday to come around and now that it was here the entire day dropped to a crawl. It felt like he was going through the mud pit, dragging his body by the strength of his chin alone. It didn’t help that he was riding on the excitement of whatever Joel had planned for him. Any amount of bugging the man didn’t give anything away. Zipping his lips was taken to a whole new level as an actual zipper became his mouth.  Whenever Joel was feeling particularly clever, he’d swallow a key he materialized out of the air, and padlock his lips shut.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you this jittery.” Michael commented after seeing Ray bounce around in his seat. “You are seriously Gavin levels of twitchy right now.”

Ray slammed his forehead on the desk, “I’m just anxious…”

“For what?” piped in Gavin.

Ray scrapped his face up so his chin was resting on the desk, “I have a date after work. Like a better date. One that won’t be a fucking disaster.”

“Woah woah woah.” Geoff slid into the conversation, dropping his headphones next to his keyboard. “What was that about a date?

Ray sat up, leaning his head back to look at his boss, “I have a date.”

“Wow, so descriptive. But you also said a ‘better date’ does that mean you went on one before?”

“Uhhh…”

“Just fucking spill it.” Michael commanded, “We all know it was Joel anyways. Why didn’t you tell us you went on a real date?”

“Well, it was pretty shitty actually.”

“That’s no excuse!” said Gavin.

Ray looked honestly offended, his mouth was a perfect “o” shape, “That’s a legitimate excuse, and I’m standing by it.”

Michael chuckled, “Shut your face Ray.”  

“Do you want me to talk, or do you want me to shut up! Make up your mind, man!” Ray huffed.

Now it was Ryan’s turn to chime in, “You are getting pretty worked up aren’t you?”

“All of you are gettin’ up in my business! I can’t help these things!” Ray nearly yelled defensively. He shot upwards out of his seat and began storming toward the door. Like a cartoon child having gotten yelled at by a parent, he lifted his knees and slammed them back down, one awkward marching step at a time. “I’m out of here!”

He was joking around with the guys, yeah, but at the same time he felt suffocated by their questions. Even if the jokes were all light-hearted, they felt like spears in his chest. Ray was one to give personal information on his own terms, and getting bombarded made him want to hide inside himself. Koopas got nothing on him. He took a moment behind the Achievement Office door to put himself together before heading upstairs. Predictably, he was going to go find comfort in Joel’s company. Just a quick five minute moment would set Ray right again and he’d hop back down when finished.

He knocked on the door, waiting for Joel’s call to let him in, but no such voice came. Leaning over to peer through the window, Ray discovered that Joel wasn’t even in his office. That’s embarrassing. Shuffling awkwardly to lean against the wall, Ray pulled out his phone. He was about to shoot off a few messages to Joel when Barbara came to the top of the steps.

“Looking for Joel?” She asked sweetly.

“Yeah.” Ray said with a nod, “You know where he is?”

“Not exactly.” She admitted. “But he did say he was going to run an errand real quickly. He should be back later.”

Ray thanked Barbara, but he couldn’t hide the look of a kicked puppy that had taken over his features.  When he silently entered back into the Office, the other Hunters didn’t even say a word. Just looking at the man, they knew something was up and weren’t going to push it any farther. In a matter of minutes though, with casual chatting and other bullshittery, the mood lifted to its normal level.

“Look…” Michael said later on in the day, “Whatever your date is, I’m sure it’s going to be good. Joel will behave. I hope.”

Ray smiled softly. “Thank you, Michael.”

What Ray had no idea of was that Joel was in the back of the parking lot working on something very important. His “errands” were actually just an excuse to practice. He was going to be pushing his powers to his limits today, and he wanted to make sure that they weren’t going to get lost in between some inter-dimensional rift that would kill them both. Reality bending is serious business, after all. Burnie had pulled himself away from his desk and was helping Joel out as well. Not that he could actually do anything but test the safety of Joel’s creations.

Burnie was a good twenty feet off the ground on top of an elegant Gryphon.  White-tipped wings danced gracefully in the sky as it practiced its flying. It didn’t seem to be having any problems holding on the man’s weight. But just in case Burnie fell through, there was a net that would catch him beneath it.

The Gryphon was one of a few creatures Joel was testing out. Earlier he had tried a western-styled dragon that was covered in crystals, and even a full-blown sparkling Pegasus. The horse was to try and to appeal to Ray’s ironic brony side. Hopefully Ray would appreciate it if he decided to go with that one.

Joel waved his hand and the Gryphon landed easily. Burnie disembarked the creature. His legs were a little shaky, but he didn’t kiss the ground and praise it for being there. (He only did that once when the dragon started getting unstable and Joel barely landed him before it disappeared altogether).

“How was the flight?” Joel asked as Burnie stretched out his legs.

“Better. I think you’ve got it down now, but it’s a little cold up there. The wind is pretty bad.” Burnie answered.

“Got it.” Joel nodded. “Thanks again for helping me out with this.”

“No problem, I don’t want you killing Ray so soon. He’s become pretty popular with our fans, yanno? But why can’t you just drive in a car or something normal?”

“Because,” Joel started as he forged a small yellow note in his hand and a pen to go along with it, “We are very far from normal.”

Burnie chuckled, “Fair enough.”

Joel finished scribbling on his note and created a golden humming bird; the very same bird he made when he sent Ray the note after their first encounter. The bird snapped the note in its shimmering beak and sped off to the Achievement office. Contrary to popular belief, you can hear a humming bird’s wings. You’d almost mistake it for a very loud bee if you didn’t know better. When Ray heard a faint buzz near his ears, he looked over and saw the golden creature zipping around right in his face. Ray yelped in surprise.

He collected himself after getting looks from the other Hunters and pulled the note from its beak. Unlike the last time Ray received a note, the text wasn’t wandering about the paper in a haphazard manner. Sure, it bounced a little, but it was actually readable.

The note read:

_Pick your preferred method of transportation:_

  1. _Pegasus_
  2. _Gryphon_
  3. _Dragon_



_\--Joel_

Ray had no idea what the hell it meant, but he had a better idea then what was on the note. Picking up a pen that was on the table, he scrawled another answer on the paper entirely and gave it to the bird that was waiting impatiently. The feathered being zipped out of the room and flew back to his owner.

Joel unfolded the note and dismissed the bird.

“What the fuck is a Moosh?”

\--

“There’s no way in fuck I’m testing that thing for you.” Burnie scowled after they found out what a Moosh was.

“Get on the goddamn thing already Burnie.” Joel growled in response.

\--

Five o’clock rolled around and as if he were summoned with a demon circle, Joel was at the Achievement Office door. Ray’s heart leapt in his chest as he bounced out of his chair and headed over to Joel. Words of encouragement left their co-workers mouths as Joel placed his hand around Ray’s back and led him out the door.

Joel stopped right at the 636 entrance, preventing them from exiting, “Do you want to leave now, or maybe stop at your place first and then go?”

Ray pondered a moment and then said, “Fuck it, let’s just head off on whatever adventure you have planned.”

“Alright!” Joel said opening the door for Ray like a gentleman. Ray took a few steps out and had to stop when something very large and very blue caught his eye.

In the middle of the parking lot was a large blue cat-bear. It was a giant ball of blue and white fur that was shaped like a bear, but had pointed cat ears on top of his oversized head. This thing was big, the size of a mini-van big. On his back were tiny little chicken wings that looked completely out of place that peeked above his shoulders. He was licking his fat paw just like a cat would.

“Holy fuck, you actually made Moosh.” Ray said with his jaw agape. Moosh’s fur was soft to the touch. Ray’s hand nearly got lost in the fluffy depths of white and blue hair. Beneath the fur, the radiated a realistic warmth that really made him feel alive. Not to mention he had subtle breathing too.

Moosh was a video game character come to life.

“You bet your ass I did. And he’s flyable, too.” Joel said with the most absolute pride he could muster.  “I’m not going to lie, I had no idea what the fuck a Moosh was, but when I found out it was a flying cat-bear from the Zelda series, I put in the extra effort to make it for you.”

Ray hugged the beast, shoving his face into Moosh’s coat. “He’s perfect.”

Moosh moved from his sitting position to standing on all four of his stubby legs. “He’s telling you to get on.” Joel said, moving behind Ray.

“What?” Ray blinked.

“He’s our ride, now get on.” Joel said placing his arms on Ray’s sides and lifting him with ease. After some struggling and practically slipping right off the other side, Ray managed to get on the beast. Joel hopped up behind Ray with ease.

“Are you sure this guy can actually fly, though?”  Ray asked, trying to push the thought of Joel being so close to him out of his head.

The next thing Ray knew was that he was covered in a jacket way too warm for the Austin sun, and shades that stylishly covered his glasses. “I guarantee it, and I’m taking extra precautions as well. It’s going to be a little cold because of the wind though. I practiced with Burnie this afternoon to make sure this shit worked. Also, don’t worry about people seeing us, because we’ll be invisible as well.”

Ray looked over his shoulder,“You’ve got it covered, don’t you?”

Joel smirked, “Yeah. I do. Now one more thing: I’m going to hold on to you so you don’t fall off, is that okay?”

Ray swallowed nervously, but he nodded. They had never had extended contact before, so when Joel’s arms wrapped around his waist he wasn’t sure what he felt. Joel was warm, and Ray just wanted to melt into the older man’s chest.

“Ready?” Joel asked.

“Ready.”

Without much further warning, the big blue cat-bear took off with a jerk. Ray’s body was initially pushed back into Joel’s as they ascended into the air, but Joel was like a wall that didn’t move. Moosh was surprisingly graceful after that. His tiny chicken wings flapped so fast they were a blur but they were flying at a steady pace. They soared over cars and buildings, and Ray was geeking out the entire time. He was like a child pointing out to his parents everything that caught his attention. “Joel! Look at that!” “Woah! Over there!” “Imagine if we just dropped shit on their heads right now, they’d have no idea, would they?”

Joel didn’t want to take his eyes off Ray. Not when his eyes sparkled as they did in that moment.

Their sky adventure came to an end when Moosh descended in front of a restaurant. It was a nice little place tucked in the corner of other cute little shops and the like. Ray remembered seeing it from time to time, but no one ever spoke of it, so he just avoided it altogether. The two of them slid off Moosh, and Joel removed their jackets, whisking them away back into dust. Moosh, however stayed, and parked his plump rump over in one of the parking spaces. Joel assured Ray that he looks like the dream car of the person who is looking at him. It’s one of those evil things that would cause a fight between people if they actually mentioned what vehicle they saw. Ray chuckled at the thought.

“This place looks kinda fancy, are we dressed up for the part?” Ray asked with a tinge of worry on his voice.

“Nah.” Joel waved him off like nothing at all, “This is one of those places that try and pretend to be fancy, but the only thing they serve is pizza and the greasiest burgers on the planet.”

Ray stopped and looked at the door, “Are you serious? This place?”

Joel stepped forward and opened the door, gesturing for him to come inside, “See for yourself.”

The Resturant was indeed fancy on the inside. Black carpet underneath their feet lead up to a room full of white-clothed tables with wooden chairs lovingly pushed in. The walls were covered with crimson wallpaper that was ornamented with gold painted flowers. Low warm lighting hung over every table to create an intimate atmosphere. And despite the attempt to appear fancy, the low rumble of laughter that came from every table shattered it in an instant. No one was wearing dresses or suits, just whatever they had decided to wear that day.

The server that greeted the two of them seated them in in a corner spot.

“I swear to god, I am going to piss my pants or something if I find out that this is some painfully elaborate illusion of yours, because this is ridiculous.” Ray said as he sat down in the cushioned seat.

Joel snorted. Granted, he had thought of making a restaurant, but there’s no way he could fake food tasting good. But Ray didn’t need to know, so he smirked and said nothing as he sat in his own seat across from Ray.

“Joel, seriously, did you make this place up?” Ray prodded again.

This time Joel responded, “If I told you, it would ruin the mystery, wouldn’t it?”

“Joel! Seriously!”

“Quit whining and enjoy what’s here.”

Ray pouted and picked up the menus that the server had placed for them. Sure enough the menu was entirely made of crap food. It made the entire thing feel like their dumb little lunch dates, but bigger. The server swept by, took their orders and whisked off. After Ray didn’t receive the information he wanted, they continued chatting about dumb things as they always did.

“We should have a food fight.” Joel stated suddenly, picking up his fork, his finger rested on the prongs to keep it upright.

Ray’s head snapped up, “What?”

“A foodfight.” Joel repeated, as the fork grew arms and legs. Shortly after, his other utensils followed suit and started standing on their own. Ray’s did the same.  Ray blinked at his living silverware.

Ray’s fork decided it was the captain, picked up the napkin, and tied it around his neck. Joel’s spoon was the commander of his side.

“Basically, we are going to ‘rock paper scissors’ this shit. Just think super hard, and the little armyware you’ve chosen will step forward. Spoon beats forks, fork beats knives, knife beats spoons. They might wrestle a bit but yeah.” Joel explained eagerly, as his warriors flexed and stretched.

Ray doubted the idea that just thinking would move the living silverware on the table, but after all he’d seen, how could he doubt anything anymore? He concentrated on the knife, and it began to step forward. Pointing its jagged edge forward, it looked as threatening as a butter knife could. It was pretty neat, controlling things on his own, even if it was just a temporary gift from Joel.

“So what’s the point of the captains?” Ray asked, gesturing to his fork. The fork raised its stick-thin arm up in challenge.

“The captains are for show.” Joel said with a shrug, “I mean, c’mon, it’s a fork with a cape. What’s not cool about that?”

Ray cackled, his cheeks pushed high on his face with the smile plastered on it. “I guess nothing, it’s really cool. You know, for a nerd.”

Joel’s mouth fell agape, “You take that back!”

“Never!”

And just like that, their game was on. Like a green flag waved to start a race, their little warriors were ready to go. First to jump forward was Ray’s spoon and Joel’s knife. The spoon charged forward, just to be deflected by the knifehead. The curve of the spoon slid right off and fell to the ground. As the spoon lay lifeless on the ground, its arms and legs retreated back into the body and it became a regular spoon.

“My spoon!” Ray cried as he cradled the spoon in his hand. He sobbed dramatically, like a main character that’s lost their love.

“Losers face death.” Joel said confidently as his knife retreated back to his side of the table. The other two high-fived him for his victory.

“You’ll pay for this, Heyman!” Ray claimed as the next round began. This time both forks jumped forward.  The prongs scissored together as they tried to push one another. Ray’s fork’s cape blew with an invisible wind, looking heroic as he pushed Joel’s fork back. Just when all seemed to be working out for Ray, Joel’s fork gained a second wind and pushed back. A skinny sumo wrestle commenced between the two of them. In the tie it was expected to be, the forks crashed to the ground, exhausted from their dramatic fight. Ray and Joel glared at each other while their utensils picked themselves up and returned to their sides.

The next battle was over in a flash. Ray’s fork versus Joel’s knife. The knife was caught between the prongs of the fork and flung across the room. The poor knife never had a chance against the captain. The battle after that was just as quick as Ray’s knife devastated Joel’s spoon. The once proud captain on Joel’s side fell to a smirking ninja of a knife. Well, it would be smirking if it actually had a face, but Joel made sure not to include those.

 Looking down at what was left, Ray had a knife and a fork left, and Joel just had his fork. No matter how it ended, it would be a tie. It was so stupid, all the buildup for such an anti-climactic ending! The two of them realized how faulty their entire game was at the same time and started laughing heartily. Not just simple chuckles either, this was full out but-gusting laughter had left Joel making noises as he desperately tried to breathe and Ray was in tears.

“This was so stupid!” Ray finally choked out, wiping a tear from his face.

Joel lifted his head off the table, “Yeah, it really was. Jesus.”   

They didn’t care that nearly everyone in the restaurant was looking at them. Not when Ray’s smile shone like a thousand clichéd suns or that Joel was literally radiating light off his body in some crazy aura. Locking eyes, they were lost in each other and their laughter. Doubled over in laughter was how their first date should have gone, but they were making up for it now. Even when they received their food, they kept saying shit that would make them laugh. Practically drunk on happiness, the two finished their food and exited the restaurant after paying. (They tipped heavily because they knew they were a pretty large pain the ass).

Faint lilac painted the sky above as they left the restaurant behind them. Joel suited them both up again and they boarded Moosh, who was waiting patiently for their return.

“So where next?” Ray asked as Moosh took off into the sky.

Joel had wrapped himself around Ray again, and leaned forward on his shoulder. “I was thinking we could end our day with a movie, how does that sound?”

Ray leaned back into Joel, “Sounds fantastic.”                                                                                                                                                                                            

Moosh’s fat furry butt flew the pair to Joel’s current apartment. Current being the word he had to use since he moved on an average of six months. Sitting in one place for too long made his body itch, and moving was the only way to scratch it. Joel had told Ray about his moving habits before, so he wasn’t entirely surprised when Joel said he had to check on something before he even let Ray into the apartment. The man probably still had boxes unpacked and strewn about. Ray chuckled at the idea of Joel’s apartment being the polar opposite of his own.

“Okay,” Joel’s muffled voice came from behind the door, “You can come in now.”

Ray’s hand curled around the knob and turned. The door clicked like a gunshot in the air, and Ray pushed forward with minor hesitation. Before he could even step inside, he had to stop. The door had swung open to complete darkness, like Joel had placed a black curtain above the doorframe. Even squinting, Ray couldn’t see inside. Sure, Ray had heard of romantic lighting, but this was kind of ridiculous. Rolling his eyes, he stepped forward, feeling the floor sink just a little under his weight. He lost balance and flailed forward trying to catch himself. Instead of a hard wall, his hands clutched something soft. Before he could wonder about what was on the walls, the door shut behind him, leaving him in the darkness.

“Take off your shoes. Stay awhile!” Joel’s voice joked from farther in. At least Ray assumed it was farther in, he still couldn’t see shit. After awkwardly getting his shoes off, he found that the floor was just as soft as the walls.  

“Okay. Joel. What the fuck?” Ray grumbled, “Why the fuck are your walls soft?”

Suddenly, two lights appeared above his head. They were shaped like torches, but had light bulbs in them instead. They flickered like a flame.  The newly found light illuminated a small part of the cavernous hallway Ray appeared to be in. Also, Ray found out that the walls were covered in a velvety surface, kind of like a blanket. With no other direction to go, Ray started following down the hallway.Torches lit up as he walked forward, urging him to continue. Really, it felt like he was walking through some dark fortress.

Wait. Ray stopped as it dawned on him.

Blanket. Fortress.

Ray slapped his forehead.

“Heyman, you made a goddamn blanket fort.” Ray laughed as he continued down the hallway. Eventually, he happened upon an open room. A giant tv was perched on the wall, a couch so big it looked like you could swim between the cushions sat opposite. In between the two objects was a simple glass table with a stack of DVDs assumedly for him and Ray to choose from. The rest of the room just had your average furniture and decorations, but they were covered in blankets.

Joel was sitting on the couch with a smug grin platered on his face.

“You like?” Joel asked.

“You are such a dork.” Ray teased as he sat down in the middle of the couch.

“I’m glad you like it.”

After squabbling over what movie they were going to watch, they settled on Fight Club. It was one of Joel’s favorites and a movie Ray had actually heard of. They had conveniently forgotten that Netflix was always an option.

Over the course of the movie, from various bathroom breaks to getting refreshments, they had closed the gap between them, sitting closer each time they bounced into the seats. Joel, somehow being smooth for once in his life, hung an arm around Ray’s shoulder. It was completely natural, even as he gently tugged Ray into his side. Ray fit nicely, and he was more than willing to relax into him.

While it seemed that Joel was lost in the movie, Ray’s attention was anywhere but. He was well aware of the fingers that were rubbing lazy circles into his arm.  His skin tingled at the contact. The fingers were just one thing though that had Ray distracted. Joel smelled wonderful, like a hint of cinnamon and wood. Ray would have buried his nose into Joel if it wouldn’t be considered weird for him to do so. Then again, Joel did stick his face in Ray’s furniture, so it wouldn’t be too uncalled for. However, Ray decided against it.

Sneaking a peek up at Joel, he noticed that the other man looked just as content at Ray felt. A faint smile tugged at his lips. Rainbow bubbles floated above Joel’s head, and Ray was certain that the older man had no idea.  Joel’s eyelids were half-shut, like he was about to fall asleep at any moment.

Before Ray even realized he was moving, he had shifted and tilted his head upward. His lips placed a peck on the bottom of Joel’s chin. Joel’s faint stubble tickled, but it was worth it.

Joel’s eyes blazed gold in the darkness of the room. Really, he looked like he struck himself with lightning again, minus the melted flesh. With his mouth slightly open, he looked down at Ray.

“What the hell was that?” He asked.

“I—uh.” Ray tumbled over himself, “I kissed you?”

Joel gave Ray a look that just screamed “Really?”

“You call that a kiss?”

He then shoved Ray over and the younger man sunk into the cushions. Joel climbed over him, his big hands rested next to the sides of his head. Joel towered over him, and his eyes were still eerily glowing gold. Underneath Joel, Ray felt excited, albeit slightly terrified, unsure of what he was going to do. Of course, Joel leaned down and began kissing Ray hungrily. His chapped lips felt rough against Ray’s as the older man pushed down. Ray’s eyes fluttered closed as he let Joel continue. Their noses bumped a few times as Joel pulled back to breathe before going again. Hands wandered around, one sliding underneath Ray’s head, and the other down to the top of his hip, holding him in place. Joe’s warm wet tongue swept across Ray’s mouth, and Ray allowed him entrance, deepening the kiss even further.

Part of Ray wondered what he would see if he opened his eyes. Knowing Joel as well as he did, they were probably floating in the middle of the ocean, or on the surface of mars. Maybe they were traversing galaxies, because that’s honestly how it felt to Ray. And when Joel finally pulled away, Ray finally opened his eyes. Joel’s pupils were blown wide with arousal, and Ray’s probably were too.

“Now that, Ray, is how you kiss someone.” Joel teased, and retreating off Ray to let the other sit up.  “God, I had no idea I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

Ray chuckled, “I think I can say the same.”

Joel cleared his throat and fidgeted a little, like he was trying to decide on something. Ray was about to say something how it seemed they forgot about the movie, but then Joel took his hand, shutting him up instantly.

“Ray, I want you to know something.”

“I’m listening.”

“Okay.” Joel nodded, “So, I think it’s very important that I express how I feel right now. Right now while the timing is right. Not that we’ve had issues communicating, but this is something I feel right now, so I’m going to tell you.

“Ray Narvaez Jr, you are a man that has given me a new look on myself.  You’ve made me feel things that I never knew I could feel.  My heart has never beaten louder in my chest than it does when I’m looking at you. I’ve never lost control of my powers until I met you. You are beyond me, and probably better than me in some ways, I don’t know, that doesn’t matter. Right now, though, you should know that I like you. I like you so goddamn much, I can’t even tell you. 

“Ray. I love you.” 

Ray sat there and let the weight of Joel’s words sink in. Joel was a man that could create illusions, bend reality, and warp the world around him. Yet nothing rang more true in this moment than the sincerity of Joel’s voice.  He wasn’t faking how he felt, he couldn’t, and that _meant_ something.

“Good. Because I love you too.” Ray’s words were just as true.

A bored Joel Heyman may be a scary Joel Heyman, but a Joel Heyman in love is a story in itself.

\--

Months later, they were still together in happy relationship bliss, and Ray practically lived at Joel’s apartment. Believe it or not, Joel actually kept his apartment. That’s why, on a lazy Saturday afternoon he was doing the dishes. Except not, because the water kept completely turning into diamond every five minutes or so.

“Goddammit Joel! I’m trying to do the damn dishes!”

“What?” Joel yelled from living room. He had been playing some Halo, kicking the ass of various friends. “I’m not doing anything!”

“Bullshit. Why is the water turning into solid diamond?”

Joel paused the game and wandered into the kitchen, “Ray, I swear, I’m not doing shit. What do you mean the water is turning into diamond?”

Ray pointed to the sink, where the dishes were literally stuck in the sink because the water had hardened around it. “See? You’re gonna tell me you aren’t doing this?”

“I’m really not!”

“Bullshit!”

“This is a fucking stupid thing to lie about, Ray.”

“Then quit lying!”

“I’m not!”

“Holy fuck, Joel, this really isn’t funny! Sure, little things here and there are, but this isn’t!” Ray yelled, throwing his hands toward Joel in an angry gesture. At the snap of his wrists, Ray’s hands became covered purple flames.

“What the fuck?!?” They both exclaimed the same time.

Joel waved at the sink, turning it from diamond back to water, and directed it like a snake charmer, splashing Ray’s hands. The skin hissed and bubbled as it was put out.

Joel quickly defended himself.  “I swear to god I didn’t set your fucking hands on fire.”

Ray blinked at the darkened skin, and he watched as it healed itself.  “No. I think I just did that.”

“Wait. You did?”

“Yeah. I did.” Ray nodded, he dropped one hand and put the other between them. His hand burst into flame again, this time a brilliant green color, and snuffed it out just as quickly as it started.

“I... I didn’t know the powers of Discord could spread.” Joel said honestly.

“Welp. Looks like we’ve got some training to do.”

“You’re just going to accept it like that?”

“Yeah, I mean, why would I freak out since I’ve been around yours for so long now?”

“You’ve got a point.”

“Now help me with the dishes, I might turn the water into something else by accident if you aren’t watching me.”

Joel laughed, “Riiiight, and this isn’t just some plan to make me do all the chores with you? “

“Shut up and help me, Heyman.”

“Whatever you want, Ray.”


End file.
